Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister of India (1996; 1998–2004)

"Vajpayee" redirects here. For other uses, see Bajpai.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Official portrait, 1998

Prime Minister of India
In office
19 March 1998 – 22 May 2004
President|

* K. R. Narayanan
* A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Deputy| L. K. Advani (starting in 2002)
Preceded by| Inder Kumar Gujral
Succeeded by| Manmohan Singh
In office
16 May 1996 – 1 June 1996
President| Shankar Dayal Sharma
Vice President| K. R. Narayanan
Preceded by| P. V. Narasimha Rao
Succeeded by| H. D. Deve Gowda
9th Union Minister of External Affairs
In office
26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979
Prime Minister| Morarji Desai
Preceded by| Yashwantrao Chavan
Succeeded by| Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra
Union Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation
In office
1 July 2002 – 22 May 2004
Preceded by| Maneka Gandhi
Succeeded by| Oscar Fernandes
In office
13 October 1999 – 1 September 2001
Preceded by| ministry opened
Succeeded by| Jagmohan

Parliamentary offices

Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office
1991–2009
Preceded by| Mandhata Singh
Succeeded by| Lalji Tandon
Constituency| Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
In office
1977–1984
Preceded by| Mukul Banerjee
Succeeded by| K. C. Pant
Constituency| New Delhi, Delhi
In office
1971–1977
Preceded by| Ram Awtar Sharma
Succeeded by| N. K. Shejwalkar
Constituency| Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
In office
1967–1971
Preceded by| Subhadra Joshi
Succeeded by| Chandra Bhal Mani Tiwari
Constituency| Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh
In office
1957–1962
Succeeded by| Subhadra Joshi
Constituency| Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
1986–1991
Constituency| Madhya Pradesh
In office
1962–1967
Constituency| Uttar Pradesh

Party political offices

1st President of the Bharatiya Janata Party
In office
1980–1986
Preceded by| Office established
Succeeded by| L. K. Advani
11th President of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh
In office
1968–1972
Preceded by| Deendayal Upadhyaya
Succeeded by| L. K. Advani

Personal details
Born| (1924-12-25)25 December 1924
Gwalior, Gwalior State, British India (present-day Madhya Pradesh, India)
Died| 16 August 2018(2018-08-16) (aged 93)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Monuments| Sadaiv Atal
Political party| Bharatiya Janata Party (from 1980)
Other political
affiliations|

* Janata Party (1977–1980)
* Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951–1977)

Alma mater|

* Victoria College, Gwalior (BA)
* DAV College, Kanpur,(MA)[a]

Occupation|

* Poet
* politician
* writer

Awards|

* Bharat Ratna (2015)
* Padma Vibhushan (1992)

Signature|
a. ^ At the time of graduation, it was affiliated with Agra University.

|  |

This article is part of
a series about

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

|

Prime Minister of India

* Early political career
* Honours
* Electoral record
* Eponym
* Good Governance Day
* Electoral history

* * *

Premiership

* * *

* General elections

* 1996
* 1998
* 1999
* 2004
* India Shining
* Union Council of Ministers
* First
* Second
* Third
* Lok Sabha
* Eleventh
* Twelfth
* Thirteenth

* * *

National policy

* * *

Legislations

* POTA
* TADA
* NHDP
* Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana
* Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

* * *

Treaties and accords

* Agra summit
* Lahore Declaration

* * *

Missions and agencies

* Pokhran-II

* * *

Controversies

* Barak Missile scandal

* * *

Wars and attacks

* Kargil War
* 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff

* * *

* * *

Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video

* v
* t
* e

Atal Bihari Vajpayee[1] (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician, statesman and poet who served as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004.[2] He was the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term in the office. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was a member of the RSS, a Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation. He was also a Hindi poet and a writer.[3][4]

He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five decades, having been elected ten times to the Lok Sabha, the lower house, and twice to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house. He served as the Member of Parliament from the Lucknow constituency, retiring from active politics in 2009 due to health concerns. He was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, of which he was president from 1968 to 1972. The BJS merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general election. In March 1977, Vajpayee became the Minister of External Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He resigned in 1979, and the Janata alliance collapsed soon after. Former members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh formed the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1980, with Vajpayee its first president.

During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra. Vajpayee's government introduced many domestic economic and infrastructural reforms, including encouraging the private sector and foreign investments, reducing governmental waste, encouraging research and development and privatisation of some government owned corporations.[5] During his tenure, India's security was threatened by a number of violent incidents including 2001 Indian Parliament attack and 2002 Gujarat riots which ultimately caused his defeat in 2004 general election.

Vajpayee was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan in 1992, India's second highest civilian award by the Government of India. The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was honoured India's highest civilian honour - Bharat Ratna, by the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died in 2018 due to age-related illness.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Vajpayee was born into a Kanyakubja Brahmin family on 25 December 1924 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.[6][7] His mother was Krishna Devi and his father was Krishna Bihari Vajpayee.[8] His father was a school teacher in Gwalior.[9] His grandfather, Shyam Lal Vajpayee, had migrated to Morena, Madhya Pradesh from his ancestral village of Bateshwar in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.[8] Later he shifted to Gwalior from Morena for better opportunities.

Vajpayee did his primary schooling at the Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gwalior and high school education from the Gorkhi School, Gwalior.[10] In 1934, he was admitted to the Anglo-Vernacular Middle (AVM) School in Barnagar, Ujjain district, after his father joined as headmaster. He subsequently attended Gwalior's Victoria College, (now Maharani Laxmi Bai Govt. College of Excellence) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Hindi, English and Sanskrit. He completed his post-graduation with a Master of Arts in political science from DAV College, Kanpur, Agra University.[7][11]

## Early works as activist

[edit]

His activism started in Gwalior with Arya Kumar Sabha, the youth wing of the Arya Samaj movement, of which he became the general secretary in 1944. He also joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1939 as a swayamsevak, or volunteer. Influenced by Babasaheb Apte, he attended the Officers Training Camp of the RSS during 1940 to 1944, becoming a pracharak (RSS terminology for a full-time worker) in 1947. He gave up studying law due to the partition riots. He was sent to Uttar Pradesh as a vistarak (a probationary pracharak) and soon began working for the newspapers of Deendayal Upadhyaya: Rashtradharma (a Hindi monthly), Panchjanya (a Hindi weekly), and the dailies Swadesh and Veer Arjun.[11][12][13]

By 1942, at the age of 16 years, Vajpayee became an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and joined it shakha in Gwalior along with his elder brother. Although the RSS had chosen not to participate in the Quit India Movement, in August 1942, Vajpayee and his elder brother Prem were arrested for 24 days during the Quit India Movement. He was released after giving a written statement that while he was a part of the crowd, he did not participate in the militant events in Bateshwar on 27 August 1942. Throughout his life, including after he became prime minister, Vajpayee has labelled the allegation of participation in the Quit India Movement to be a false rumour.[14]

## Early political career (1947–1975)

[edit]

In 1951, Vajpayee was seconded by the RSS, along with Deendayal Upadhyaya, to work for the newly formed Bharatiya Jana Sangh, a Hindu right-wing political party associated with the RSS. He was appointed as a national secretary of the party in charge of the Northern region, based in Delhi. He soon became a follower and aide of party leader Syama Prasad Mukherjee. In the 1957 Indian general election, Vajpayee contested elections to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament. He lost to Raja Mahendra Pratap in Mathura, but was elected from Balrampur.

He was influenced by Jawaharlal Nehru to the extent that he mirrored his style, diction, and tone of his speeches.[15][16] Nehru's influence was also evident in Vajpayee's leadership.[17] In the Lok Sabha his oratorial skills so impressed Prime Minister Nehru that he predicted that Vajpayee would someday become the prime minister of India.[18][19][20] On the occasion of Nehru's death on 27 May 1964, Vajpayee termed him as "the orchestrator of the impossible and inconceivable" and likened him to Hindu god Rama.[21][22]

Vajpayee's oratorial skills won him the reputation of being the most eloquent defender of the Jana Sangh's policies.[23] After the death of Upadhyaya, the leadership of the Jana Sangh passed to Vajpayee.[24] He became the national president of the Jana Sangh in 1968,[25] running the party along with Nanaji Deshmukh, Balraj Madhok and L. K. Advani.[24]

## Janata Party and the BJP (1975–1995)

[edit]

Vajpayee addressing a political rally in 1977.

Vajpayee was arrested along with several other opposition leaders during the Internal Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975.[9][26] Initially interned in Bangalore, Vajpayee appealed his imprisonment on the grounds of bad health, and was moved to a hospital in Delhi.[27] In December 1976, Vajpayee ordered the student activists of the ABVP to tender an unconditional apology to Indira Gandhi for perpetrating violence and disorder.[28][29] The ABVP student leaders refused to obey his order.[28][30]

Gandhi ended the state of emergency in 1977.[31] A coalition of parties, including the BJS, came together to form the Janata Party, which won the 1977 general elections.[32] Morarji Desai, the chosen leader of the alliance, became the prime minister. Vajpayee served as the minister of external affairs, or foreign minister, in Desai's cabinet.[33] As foreign minister, Vajpayee became the first person in 1977 to deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi.[33]

Foreign Minister Vajpayee (far right) and Prime Minister Morarji Desai (third from right, front row) with US President Jimmy Carter during his 1978 visit to India.

In 1979, Desai and Vajpayee resigned, triggering the collapse of the Janata Party.[27][34] The erstwhile members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh came together to form the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980, with Vajpayee as its first President.[35]

Leading up to Operation Bluestar, there were several protests by Sangh Parivar, including a march led by LK Advani and Vajpayee of the Bhartiya Janta Party to protest against the lack of government action and to demand that the Indian Army be sent into the Golden Temple.[36][37]

The 1984 general elections were held in the wake of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. While he had won the 1977 and the 1980 elections from New Delhi, Vajpayee shifted to his home town Gwalior for the election.[38]

Vidya Razdan was initially tipped to be the Congress candidate. Instead, Madhavrao Scindia, scion of the Gwalior royal family, was brought in on the last day of filing nominations.[39] Vajpayee lost to Scindia, managing to secure only 29% of the votes.[38]

Under Vajpayee, the BJP moderated the Hindu-nationalist position of the Jana Sangh, emphasising its connection to the Janata Party and expressing support for Gandhian Socialism.[40] The ideological shift did not bring it success and Indira Gandhi's assassination generated sympathy for the Congress, leading to a massive victory at the polls. The BJP won only two seats in parliament.[40] Vajpayee offered to quit as party president following BJP's dismal performance in the election,[41] but stayed in the post until 1986.[42] He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1986 from Madhya Pradesh,[43] and was briefly the leader of the BJP in Parliament.[44]

In 1986, L. K. Advani took office as president of the BJP.[45] Under him, the BJP returned to a policy of hardline Hindu nationalism.[40] It became the political voice of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Movement, which sought to build a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama in Ayodhya. The temple would be built at a site believed to be the birthplace of Rama after demolishing a 16th-century mosque, called the Babri Masjid, which then stood there.[46] The strategy paid off for the BJP; it won 86 seats in the Lok Sabha in the 1989 general election, making its support crucial to the government of V. P. Singh.[40] In December 1992, a group of religious volunteers led by members of the BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), tore down the mosque.[47][23]

He served as Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, for various terms starting at Balrampur from 1957–1962. He served again from Balrampur from 1967–1971, then from Gwalior from 1971–1977, and then from New Delhi from 1977–1984. Finally, he served from Lucknow from 1991–2009.[48]

## Prime minister (1996 and 1998–99)

[edit]

See also: Premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

### First term: May 1996

[edit]

See also: First Vajpayee ministry

During a BJP conference in Mumbai in November 1995, BJP President Advani declared that Vajpayee would be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the forthcoming elections. Vajpayee himself was reported to be unhappy with the announcement, responding by saying that the party needed to win the election first.[49] The BJP became the single largest party in Parliament in the 1996 general election, helped by religious polarisation across the country as a result of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.[50][51] Indian president Shankar Dayal Sharma invited Vajpayee to form the government.[52] Vajpayee was sworn in as the 10th prime minister of India,[53] but the BJP failed to muster a majority among members of the Lok Sabha. Vajpayee resigned after 16 days, when it became clear that he did not have enough support to form a government.[53][54] In this short period, he also created and administered the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

### Second term: 1998–1999

[edit]

See also: Second Vajpayee ministry

After the fall of the two United Front governments between 1996 and 1998, the Lok Sabha was dissolved and fresh elections were held. The 1998 general elections again put the BJP ahead of others. A number of political parties joined the BJP to form the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and Vajpayee was sworn in as the prime minister.[55] The coalition was an uneasy one,[32] as apart from the Shiv Sena, none of the other parties espoused the BJP's Hindu-nationalist ideology.[56] Vajpayee has been credited for managing this coalition successfully, while facing ideological pressure from the hardline wing of the party and from the RSS.[27] Vajpayee's government lasted 13 months until mid-1999 when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) under J. Jayalalithaa withdrew its support.[57] The government lost the ensuing vote of confidence motion in the Lok Sabha by a single vote on 17 April 1999.[58] As the opposition was unable to come up with the numbers to form the new government, the Lok Sabha was again dissolved and fresh elections were held.[59]

#### Nuclear tests

[edit]

See also: Pokhran-II

In May 1998, India conducted five underground nuclear tests in the Pokhran desert in Rajasthan, 24 years after its first nuclear test, operation Smiling Buddha in 1974. Two weeks later, Pakistan responded with its own nuclear tests making it the newest nation with declared nuclear capability.[60] While some nations, such as France, endorsed India's right to defensive nuclear power,[61] others including the United States, Canada, Japan, Britain and the European Union imposed sanctions on information, resources and technology to India. In spite of intense international criticism and steady decline in foreign investment and trade, the nuclear tests were popular domestically. In effect, the international sanctions imposed failed to sway India from weaponising its nuclear capability. US sanctions against India and Pakistan were eventually lifted after just six months.[62]

#### Lahore summit

[edit]

In late 1998 and early 1999, Vajpayee began a push for a full-scale diplomatic peace process with Pakistan. With the historic inauguration of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999, Vajpayee initiated a new peace process aimed towards permanently resolving the Kashmir dispute and other conflicts with Pakistan. The resultant Lahore Declaration espoused a commitment to dialogue, expanded trade relations and mutual friendship and envisaged a goal of denuclearised South Asia. This eased the tension created by the 1998 nuclear tests, not only within the two nations but also in South Asia and the rest of the world.[63][64]

#### AIADMK's withdrawal from coalition

[edit]

The AIADMK had continually threatened to withdraw from the coalition and national leaders repeatedly flew down from Delhi to Chennai to pacify the AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa. However, in May 1999, the AIADMK withdrew from NDA, and the Vajpayee administration was reduced to a caretaker status pending fresh elections scheduled for October 1999.[65]

#### Kargil War

[edit]

Prime Minister Vajpayee with Indian troops and other dignitaries at Kargil after the war in 1999

Further information: Kargil War

In May 1999 some Kashmiri shepherds discovered the presence of militants and non-uniformed Pakistani soldiers (many with official identifications and Pakistan Army's custom weaponry) in the Kashmir Valley, where they had taken control of border hilltops and unmanned border posts. The incursion was centred around the town of Kargil, but also included the Batalik and Akhnoor sectors and artillery exchanges at the Siachen Glacier.[66][67]

The Indian army responded with Operation Vijay, which launched on 26 May 1999. This saw the Indian military fighting thousands of militants and soldiers in the midst of heavy artillery shelling and while facing extremely cold weather, snow and treacherous terrain at the high altitude.[68] Over 500 Indian soldiers were killed in the three-month-long Kargil War, and it is estimated around 600–4,000 Pakistani militants and soldiers died as well.[69][70][71][72] India pushed back the Pakistani militants and Northern Light Infantry soldiers. Almost 70% of the territory was recaptured by India.[68] Vajpayee sent a "secret letter" to U.S. President Bill Clinton that if Pakistani infiltrators did not withdraw from the Indian territory, "we will get them out, one way or the other".[73]

After Pakistan suffered heavy losses, and with both the United States and China refusing to condone the incursion or threaten India to stop its military operations, General Pervez Musharraf was recalcitrant and Nawaz Sharif asked the remaining militants to stop and withdraw to positions along the LoC.[74] The militants were not willing to accept orders from Sharif but the NLI soldiers withdrew.[74] The militants were killed by the Indian army or forced to withdraw in skirmishes which continued even after the announcement of withdrawal by Pakistan.[74]

## Prime Minister (1999–2004)

[edit]

See also: Third Vajpayee ministry

### 1999–2002

[edit]

The 1999 general elections were held in the aftermath of the Kargil operations. The BJP-led NDA won 303 seats out of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha, securing a comfortable and stable majority.[75] On 13 October 1999, Vajpayee took oath as the prime minister of India for the third time.[76]

A national crisis emerged in December 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi was hijacked by five terrorists and flown to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.[77] The hijackers made several demands including the release of certain terrorists like Masood Azhar from prison. Under pressure, the government ultimately caved in. Jaswant Singh, the then minister of external affairs, flew with the terrorists to Afghanistan and exchanged them for the passengers.[78]

Vajpayee with Russian president Vladimir Putin on 6 November 2001 Vajpayee meeting U.S. president Bill Clinton at the Hyderabad House
on 21 March 2000

In March 2000, Bill Clinton, the President of the United States, paid a state visit to India.[79] This was the first state visit to India by a U.S. president in 22 years, since President Jimmy Carter's visit in 1978.[80] President Clinton's visit was hailed as a significant milestone in relations between the two nations.[79] Vajpayee and Clinton had wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional and international developments.[81] The visit led to expansion in trade and economic ties between India and the United States.[82] A vision document on the future course of Indo-U.S. relations was signed during the visit.[83]

Domestically, the BJP-led government was influenced by the RSS, but owing to its dependence on coalition support, it was impossible for the BJP to push items like building the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya, repealing Article 370 which gave a special status to the state of Kashmir, or enacting a uniform civil code applicable to adherents of all religions. On 17 January 2000, there were reports of the RSS and some BJP hard-liners threatening to restart the Jan Sangh, the precursor to the BJP, because of their discontent over Vajpayee's rule. Former president of the Jan Sangh Balraj Madhok had written a letter to the then-RSS chief Rajendra Singh for support.[84] The BJP was, however, accused of "saffronising" the official state education curriculum and apparatus, saffron being the colour of the RSS flag of the RSS, and a symbol of the Hindu nationalism movement.[85] Home Minister L. K. Advani and the Human Resource Development Minister (now called Education Minister)[86] Murli Manohar Joshi were indicted in the 1992 Babri Mosque demolition case for inciting a mob of activists. Vajpayee himself came under public scrutiny owing to his controversial speech one day prior to the mosque demolition.[87]

These years were accompanied by infighting in the administration and confusion regarding the direction of government.[88][89] Vajpayee's weakening health was also a subject of public interest, and he underwent a major knee-replacement surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai to relieve intense pressure upon his legs.[90]

In March 2001, the Tehelka group released a sting operation video named Operation West End which showed BJP president Bangaru Laxman, senior army officers and NDA members accepting bribes from journalists posing as agents and businessmen.[91][92] The Defence Minister George Fernandes was forced to resign following the Barak Missile scandal involving the botched supplies of coffins for the soldiers killed in Kargil, and the findings of an inquiry commission that the government could have prevented the Kargil invasion.[93]

Vajpayee initiated talks with Pakistan and invited Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf to Agra for a joint summit. President Musharraf was believed to be the principal architect of the Kargil War in India.[94] By accepting him as the President of Pakistan, Vajpayee chose to move forward leaving behind the Kargil War. But after three days of much fanfare, which included Musharraf visiting his birthplace in Delhi, the summit failed to achieve a breakthrough as President Musharraf declined to leave aside the issue of Kashmir.[95]

### 2001 attack on Parliament

[edit]

Main article: 2001 Indian Parliament attack

On 13 December 2001, a group of masked, armed men with fake IDs stormed Parliament House in Delhi.[96] The terrorists managed to kill several security guards, but the building was sealed off swiftly and security forces cornered and killed the men who were later proven to be Pakistan nationals.[97] Vajpayee ordered Indian troops to mobilise for war, leading to an estimated 500,000[98] to 750,000[99] Indian soldiers positioned along the international border between India and Pakistan under Operation Parakram. Pakistan responded by mobilising its own troops along the border leading to the 2001-2002 military standoff.[98] A terrorist attack on an army garrison in Kashmir in May 2002 further escalated the situation. As the threat of war between two nuclear capable countries and the consequent possibility of a nuclear exchange loomed large, international diplomatic mediation focused on defusing the situation.[100] In October 2002, both India and Pakistan announced that they would withdraw their troops from the border.[99]

The Vajpayee administration brought in the Prevention of Terrorism Act in 2002. The act was aimed at curbing terrorist threats by strengthening powers of government authorities to investigate and act against suspects.[101][102] It was passed in a joint session of the parliament, amidst concerns that the law would be misused.[103]

Another political disaster hit his government between December 2001 and March 2002 with the VHP and the Government engaging in a major standoff in Ayodhya over the Ram temple. On the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the Babri mosque, the VHP wanted to perform a shila daan, or a ceremony laying the foundation stone of the cherished temple at the disputed site.[104] Thousands of VHP activists amassed and threatened to overrun the site and forcibly perform the ceremony.[105][106] A threat of communal violence and breakdown of law and order owing to the defiance of the government by a religious organisation hung over the nation. The incident, however, ended peacefully with a symbolic handover of a stone at a different location 1 km away from the disputed site.[107]

### 2002 Gujarat violence

[edit]

Main article: 2002 Gujarat riots

In February 2002, a train filled with Hindu pilgrims returning to Gujarat from Ayodhya stopped in the town of Godhra. A scuffle broke out between Hindu activists and Muslim residents, and the train was set on fire, leading to the deaths of 59 people. The charred bodies of the victims were displayed in public in the city of Ahmedabad, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad called for a statewide strike in Gujarat. These decisions stoked anti-Muslim sentiments.[108] Blaming Muslims for the deaths, rampaging Hindu mobs killed thousands of Muslim men and women, destroying Muslim homes and places of worship. The violence raged for more than two months, and more than 1,000 people died.[109] Gujarat was being ruled by a BJP government, with Narendra Modi as the chief minister. The state government was criticised for mishandling the situation.[110] It was accused of doing little to stop the violence, and even being complicit in encouraging it.[111][109]

Vajpayee reportedly wanted to remove Modi but was eventually prevailed upon by party members to not act against him.[112][113] He travelled to Gujarat, visiting Godhra, and Ahmedabad, the site of the most violent riots. He announced financial aid for victims and urged an end to the violence.[114] While he condemned the violence,[115] he did not chastise Modi directly in public. When asked as to what his message to the chief minister in the event of the riots would be, Vajpayee responded that Modi must follow raj dharma, Hindi for ethical governance.[114]

At the meeting of the BJP national executive in Goa in April 2002, Vajpayee's speech generated controversy for its contents which included him saying: "Wherever Muslims live, they don't like to live in co-existence with others."[116][117] The Prime Minister's Office stated that these remarks had been taken out of context.[118] Vajpayee was accused of doing nothing to stop the violence, and later admitted mistakes in handling the events.[119] K. R. Narayanan, then president of India, also blamed Vajpayee's government for failing to quell the violence.[120] After the BJP's defeat in the 2004 general elections, Vajpayee admitted that not removing Modi had been a mistake.[121]

### 2002–2004

[edit]

Prime Minister Vajpayee speaking at a special session to commorate 200th session of Rajya Sabha in 2003.

In late 2002 and 2003 the government pushed through economic reforms.[122] The country's GDP growth exceeded 7% every year from 2003 to 2007, following three years of sub-5% growth.[123] Increasing foreign investment,[122] modernisation of public and industrial infrastructure, the creation of jobs, a rising high-tech and IT industry and urban modernisation and expansion improved the nation's international image. Good crop harvests and strong industrial expansion also helped the economy.[124]

In May 2003, he announced before the parliament that he would make one last effort to achieve peace with Pakistan. The announcement ended a period of 16 months, following the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament, during which India had severed diplomatic ties with Pakistan.[125] Although diplomatic relations did not pick up immediately, visits were exchanged by high-level officials and the military standoff ended. The Pakistani President and Pakistani politicians, civil and religious leaders hailed this initiative as did the leaders of the United States, Europe and much of the world. In July 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee visited China and met with various Chinese leaders. He recognised Tibet as a part of China, which was welcomed by the Chinese leadership, and which, in the following year, recognised Sikkim as part of India. China–India relations improved greatly in the following years.[126]

### Policies

[edit]

Vajpayee's government introduced many domestic economic and infrastructural reforms, including encouraging the private sector and foreign investments, reducing governmental waste, encouraging research and development and privatisation of some government owned corporations.[5] Among Vajpayee's projects were the National Highways Development Project and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.[127][128] In 2001, the Vajpayee government launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan campaign, aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools.[129][130]

## 2004 general election

[edit]

Prime Minister Vajpayee casting his vote at a polling booth in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, during the 2004 general election.

In 2003, news reports suggested a tussle within the BJP with regard to sharing of leadership between Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani.[131][132] BJP president Venkaiah Naidu had suggested that Advani must lead the party politically at the 2004 general elections, referring to Vajpayee as vikas purush, Hindi for development man, and Advani as loh purush, iron man.[133] When Vajpayee subsequently threatened retirement, Naidu backtracked, announcing that the party would contest the elections under the twin leadership of Vajpayee and Advani.[134]

The NDA was widely expected to retain power after the 2004 general election. It announced elections six months ahead of schedule, hoping to capitalise on economic growth, and Vajpayee's peace initiative with Pakistan.[135][136] The 13th Lok Sabha was dissolved before the completion of its term. The BJP hoped to capitalise on a perceived 'feel-good factor' and BJP's recent successes in the Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Under the "India Shining" campaign, it released ads proclaiming the economic growth of the nation under the government.[137][138]

However, the BJP could only win 138 seats in the 543-seat parliament,[139] with several prominent cabinet ministers being defeated.[136] The NDA coalition won 185 seats. The Indian National Congress, led by Sonia Gandhi, emerged as the single largest party, winning 145 seats in the election. The Congress and its allies, comprising many smaller parties, formed the United Progressive Alliance, accounting for 220 seats in the parliament.[139] Vajpayee resigned as prime minister.[140] The UPA, with the outside support of communist parties, formed the next government with Manmohan Singh as the prime minister.[141]

## Post-premiership

[edit]

Vajpayee and Rajnath Singh (left) during the voting for 2007 Indian Presidential election

In December 2005, Vajpayee announced his retirement from active politics, declaring that he would not contest in the next general election. In a famous statement at the BJP's silver jubilee rally at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, Vajpayee announced that "Henceforth, Lal Krishna Advani and Pramod Mahajan will be the Ram-Lakshman [the two godly brothers much revered and worshipped by Hindus of the BJP."[142]

Vajpayee was referred to as the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics by former prime minister Manmohan Singh during a speech in the Rajya Sabha, a reference to the character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata who was held in respect by two warring sides.[143]

Vajpayee was hospitalised at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi (AIIMS) for a chest infection and fever on 6 February 2009. He was put on ventilator support as his condition worsened but he eventually recuperated and was later discharged.[144] Unable to participate in the campaign for the 2009 general election due to his poor health, he wrote a letter urging voters to back the BJP.[145] His protege Lalji Tandon was able to retain the Lucknow seat in that election even though the NDA suffered electoral reverses all over the country. It was speculated that Vajpayee's non-partisan appeal contributed to Lalji's success in Lucknow in contrast to that BJP's poor performance elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh.[146]

## Positions held

[edit]

Further information: Electoral history of Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Year | Position | Place | Party | Remark

|
|
|
|

1951  | Founding-Member  | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
1957–1962  | MP, Balrampur (Lok Sabha constituency) | 2nd Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 1st Term
1957–1977  | Leader  | Bharatiya Jana Sangh Parliamentary Party  | Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
1962–1968  | MP, Uttar Pradesh, Rajya Sabha | Rajya Sabha | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 1st Term (Resigned on 25 February 1967) Elected to Lok Sabha
1966–1967  | Chairman  | Committee on Government Assurances  | Rajya Sabha |
1967  | MP, Balrampur (Lok Sabha constituency) | 4th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 2nd Term
1967–70  | Chairman,  | Public Accounts Committee  | Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
1968–1973  | President  | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | Bharatiya Jana Sangh |
1971  | MP, Gwalior (Lok Sabha constituency) | 5th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 3rd Term
1977  | MP, New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) | 6th Lok Sabha (4th term)  | Janata Party | (4th term)
1977–1979  | Union Cabinet Minister,  | External Affairs  | Janata Party |
1977–1980  | Founding Member  | Janata Party | Janata Party |
1980  | MP, New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) | 7th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | (5th term)
1980–1986  | President,  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1980–1984, 1986 and 1993–1996  | Leader  | Parliamentary Party  | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1986  | MP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajya Sabha | Rajya Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 2nd Term
1988–1989  | Member,  | General Purposes Committee  | Rajya Sabha |
1988–1990  | Member,  | House Committee

Member, Business Advisory Committee

| Rajya Sabha |
1990–1991  | Chairman,  | Committee on Petitions  | Rajya Sabha |
1991  | MP, Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) | 10th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | (6th term)
1991–1993  | Chairman,  | Public Accounts Committee  | Lok Sabha |
1993–1996  | Chairman,  | Committee on External Affairs  | Lok Sabha |
1993–1996  | Leader of Opposition,  | Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1996  | MP, Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) | 11th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 7th Term
16 May 1996 – 31 May 1996  | Prime Minister of India; and in charge of other subjects not allocated to any other Cabinet Minister  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1996–1997  | Leader of Opposition,  | Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1997–1998  | Chairman,  | Committee on External Affairs  | Lok Sabha |
1998  | MP, Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) | 12th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 8th Term
1998–1999  | Prime Minister of India; Minister of External Affairs; and also incharge of Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
1999  | MP, Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) | 13th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 9th Term
1999  | Leader,  | Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha  | Bharatiya Janata Party |
13 Oct.1999- May 2004  | Prime Minister of India and also in charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister  | Bharatiya Janata Party | Bharatiya Janata Party |
2004  | MP, Lucknow (Lok Sabha constituency) | 14th Lok Sabha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 10th Term
2004  | Chairman,  | Parliamentary Party  | Bharatiya Janata Party &

National Democratic Alliance (India)

## Personal life

[edit]

Vajpayee remained a bachelor for his entire life.[147] He adopted and raised Namita Bhattacharya as his own child, the daughter of longtime friend Rajkumari Kaul and her husband B. N. Kaul. His adopted family lived with him.[148]

Unlike purist Brahmins who shun meat and alcohol, Vajpayee was known to be fond of whisky and meat.[149][150] He was a noted poet, writing in Hindi. His published works include Kaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundalian, a collection of poems written during the 1975–1977 emergency, and Amar aag hai.[151] With regard to his poetry he wrote

> "My poetry is a declaration of war, not an exordium to defeat. It is not the defeated soldier's drumbeat of despair, but the fighting warrior's will to win. It is not the despirited voice of dejection but the stirring shout of victory."[152]

## Death

[edit]

Vajpayee's funeral procession moving to Smriti Sthal near Raj Ghat for last rites

Vajpayee had a stroke in 2009 which impaired his speech.[153] His health had been a major source of concern; reports said he was reliant on a wheelchair and failed to recognise people. He also had dementia and long-term diabetes. For many years, he had not attended any public engagements and rarely ventured out of the house, except for checkups at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences.[153][154]

On 11 June 2018, Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS in critical condition following a kidney infection.[155][156] He was officially declared dead there at 5:05 pm IST on 16 August 2018 at the age of 93.[157][158] Some sources claim that he had died on the previous day.[159][160] On the morning of 17 August, Vajpayee's body, draped with the Indian flag, was taken to the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters where party workers paid their tributes until 1 pm. Later that afternoon at 4 pm, Vajpayee was cremated with full state honours at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near Raj Ghat, and his pyre was lit by his foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya.[161][162] Thousands of people and many dignitaries attended his funeral procession, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind.[163][164] On 19 August, his ashes were immersed in Ganga river at Haridwar by Kaul.[165][166]

### Reactions and tributes

[edit]

India reacted to Vajpayee's death with grief and thousands of tributes poured in through social media platforms. Thousands of people paid their respects during his funeral procession.[167] A seven-day state mourning was announced by the central government throughout India. The national flag flew half-mast during this period.[168]

* Afghanistan: Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai was among several foreign dignitaries present at former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral in New Delhi. He recalled that the departed leader was "the first to offer us civilian planes, Airbuses at the time we were starting out".[169]
* Bangladesh: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed "deep shock" at the demise of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said it is a day of great sadness for the people of Bangladesh. Paying tribute to Vajpayee, Hasina termed him as "one of the most famous sons of India" and a highly respected person in Bangladesh.[170]
* Bhutan: Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck attended the funeral ceremony in New Delhi.[171]
* China: In a statement, the ministry of foreign affairs said the Indian leader was an "outstanding Indian statesman and had made outstanding contributions to the development of Sino-Indian relations". "China expresses its deep condolences on his death and sincere condolences to the Indian government and people and the relatives of Mr. Vajpayee. Premier Li Keqiang has sent a condolence message to the leaders of India," the statement said.[172]
* Israel: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu conveyed his condolences calling Vajpayee "a true friend of Israel". Foreign Ministry of Israel also extended its condolences on the passing of Vajpayee and in a statement described him as "a genuine friend of Israel".[173]
* Japan: Remembering Vajpayee's visit to Japan in 2001, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe said, "On behalf of the Government and people of Japan, I would like to convey my sincerest condolences to the Government and people of India and the bereaved family. His Excellency Vajpayee visited Japan in 2001 as the then-Prime Minister and made significant contributions to the friendship between our two countries as a good friend of Japan. It is him who established the cornerstone of Japan-India relations today". Terming Vajpayee as an eminent leader of India, Abe added, "I pray from the bottom of my heart that his soul may rest in peace".[174]
* Mauritius: On 17 August, the government of Mauritius announced that both Mauritian and Indian flags would fly at half mast in the honour of Vajpayee.[175][176] During the World Hindi Conference in Mauritius, PM Pravind Jugnauth announced that the cyber tower towards which Vajpayee contributed to be set up in Mauritius would be henceforth named as Atal Bihari Vajpayee tower.[177]
* Pakistan: Pakistan's interim Minister for Law and Information Syed Ali Zafar met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and extended Pakistan's condolence on the death of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Zafar was among the foreign dignitaries who attended Vajpayee's funeral in New Delhi.[178] Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf mourned the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, calling him a great man. He said that Vajpayee's demise was a great loss for both India as well as Pakistan.[179]
* Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolences to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the demise of Vajpayee. Putin termed the former prime minister as "outstanding statesman". "Atal Bihari Vajpayee rightly commanded great respect around the world. He will be remembered as a politician who made a major personal contribution to the friendly relations and privileged strategic partnership between our countries. The President of Russia conveyed words of sincere sympathy and support to the family of the deceased, the Government and the people of India", the message read.[180]
* Sri Lanka: Various Sri Lankan leaders paid rich tribute to the three-time PM, hailing him as a "friend of Sri Lanka". In a tweet President Maithripala Sirisena said: "Today, we have lost a great humanist and a true friend of Sri Lanka. Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a visionary leader and an ardent defender of democracy. My condolences to his family and millions of his admirers around the world". Leader of Opposition R. Sampanthan said that India has lost one of its "most regarded intellectual[s] and [statesmen]". "He served the great country of India with humility and honesty, and he was much loved and respected by millions of people across the world. Former three-time Prime Minister Vajpayee is also an exceptional orator and a leader with a great sense of humor, his speeches within the Indian parliament and outside will always be remembered", he said in a statement, extending his condolences on behalf of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.[181]
* United States: U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said Vajpayee recognised early on that the US-India partnership would contribute to the world's economic prosperity and security and the two democracies would continue to benefit from his vision. "On behalf of the people of the United States of America, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the people of India on the recent passing of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee", Pompeo said in a statement yesterday. He recalled Vajpayee's address to the Congress in 2000, when he had famously characterised US-India ties as a "natural partnership of shared endeavours". "Today, our two countries and our bilateral relationship continue to benefit from Prime Minister Vajpayee vision, which helped promote expanded cooperation", Pompeo said. He said the American people stand with the people of India "as we mourn Prime Minister Vajpayee's passing".[182]

## Honours, awards and international recognition

[edit]

### Awards

[edit]

* 1993, D. Lit. from Kanpur University[7]
* 1994, Lokmanya Tilak Award[7]
* 1994, Outstanding Parliamentarian Award[7]
* 1994, Bharat Ratna Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award[7]

### State honours

[edit]

Ribbon  | Decoration  | Country  | Date  | Note  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

| Padma Vibhushan |  India | 1992  | The second-highest civilian honour of India.  |
| Order of Ouissam Alaouite |  Morocco | 13 February 1999  | Grand Cordon, the second-highest civilian honour of Morocco.  | [183]
| Bharat Ratna |  India | 27 March 2015  | The highest civilian honour of India.  | [184]
| Bangladesh Liberation War Honour |  Bangladesh | 7 June 2015  | The second-highest civilian honour of Bangladesh awarded to foreign dignitaries.  | [185][186]

### Other achievements

[edit]

* In 2004, Vajpayee was named one of the 100 Most Influential Persons by the Time Magazine.[187]
* In 2012, Vajpayee was ranked number 9 in Outlook magazine's poll of The Greatest Indian.[188]
* In August 2018, Naya Raipur was renamed as Atal Nagar.[189][190]
* In October 2018, four Himalayan peaks near Gangotri glacier named after his name.[191]

## Published works

[edit]

Vajpayee authored several works of both Hindi poetry and prose. Some of his major publications are listed below. In addition to these, various collections were made of his speeches, articles, and slogans.[192][193][194]

### Prose

[edit]

* National Integration (1961)[195]
* New Dimensions of India's Foreign Policy (1979)[192]
* Gathbandhan Ki Rajniti[196]
* Kuchh Lekh, Kuchh Bhashan (1996)[197]
* Bindu-Bindu Vichar (1997)[198]
* Decisive Days (1999)[199]
* Sankalpakal (1999)[200]
* Vichar-Bindu (Hindi Edition, 2000)[192]
* India's Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region (2003)[201]
* Na Dainyam Na Palayanam[202]
* Nayi Chunauti : Naya Avasar[203]

### Poetry

[edit]

* Qaidi Kaviraj Ki Kundaliyan[192]
* Amar Aag Hai (1994)[192]
* Meri Ikyavan Kavitaen (1995)[204] Some of these poems were set to music by Jagjit Singh for his album Samvedna.[205]
* Kya Khoya Kya Paya: Atal Bihari Vajapeyi, Vyaktitva Aur Kavitaen (1999)[206]
* Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India's Man of Destiny (2001)[207]
* Twenty-One Poems (2003)[208]
* Chuni Hui Kavitaen (2012)[209]

An English translation of a selection of some of Vajpayee's Hindi poetry was published in 2013.[210]

## Legacy

[edit]

See also: Category:Memorials to Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister Modi at Vajpayee's memorial, Sadaiv Atal

The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee's birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day.[211][212] The world's longest tunnel, Atal Tunnel at Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh, on the Leh-Manali Highway was named after Atal Bihari Vajpayee.[213] The third longest cable-stayed bridge in India over the Mandovi River, Atal Setu was named in his memory.[214] The Government of Chhattisgarh changed the name of Naya Raipur to Atal Nagar.[215]

## In popular culture

[edit]

The Films Division of India has produced the short documentary films Pride of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998) and Know Your Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee (2003), both directed by Girish Vaidya, which explore different facets of his personality.[216][217] Vajpayee also appears in a cameo in the 1977 Indian Hindi-language film Chala Murari Hero Banne by Asrani.[218]

Aap Ki Adalat, an Indian talk show which airs on India TV, featured an interview with Vajpayee just before the 1999 elections.[219] Pradhanmantri (lit. 'Prime Minister'), a 2013 Indian documentary television series which aired on ABP News and covers the various policies and political tenures of Indian PMs, includes the tenureship of Vajpayee in the episodes "Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 13 days government and India during 1996–98", "Pokhran-II and Kargil War", and "2002 Gujarat Riots and Fall of Vajpayee Government".[220]

Abhishek Choudhary wrote an original portrait of Hindutva’s first prime minister in VAJPAYEE: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924–1977.[221] The book won the 2023 Tata Literature Live! First Book Award.[222]

In 2019, Shiva Sharma and Zeeshan Ahmad, owners of Amaash Films, acquired the official rights of the book The Untold Vajpayee written by Ullekh N P, to make a biopic based on Vajpayee's life from his childhood, college life and finally turning into a politician.[223][224][225]

Hindi-language film "Main Atal Hoon", starring Pankaj Tripathi as Vajpayee, was theatrically released in India on 19 January 2024.[226]

## See also

[edit]

* List of prime ministers of India
* List of Indian writers

## References

[edit]

### Citations

[edit]

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* Rodrigo, Tavares (2006), Understanding regional peace and security, Göteborg: Göteborg University, ISBN 9789187380679, OCLC 123913212
* Roy, Ramashray; Wallace, Paul, eds. (2007), India's 2004 Elections: Grass-Roots and National Perspectives (illustrated ed.), SAGE, ISBN 978-0-7619-3516-2, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 16 August 2018
* Turner, B., ed. (2016), The Statesman's Yearbook 2004: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World (illustrated ed.), Springer, ISBN 978-0-230-27132-6, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 16 August 2018
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1961), National integration, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 8 June 2020
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1977), Dynamics of an Open Society, Ministry of External Affairs, External Publicity Division, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 8 June 2020
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1995), Merī ikyāvana kavitāem̐, Śarmā, Candrikā Prasāda. (1. saṃskaraṇa ed.), Nayī Dillī: Kitāba Ghara, ISBN 978-8170162551, OCLC 34753486
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1996), Kucha lekha, kucha bhāshaṇa, Śarmā, Candrikā Prasāda. (1. saṃskaraṇa ed.), Nayī Dillī: Kitāba Ghara, ISBN 978-8170163398, OCLC 36430396
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1997), Bindu-bindu vicāra, Śarmā, Candrikā Prasāda. (1. saṃskaraṇa ed.), Nayī Dillī: Kitābaghara, ISBN 978-8170163862, OCLC 39733207
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1998), Na dainyaṃ na palāyanam, Śarmā, Candrikā Prasāda. (1. saṃskaraṇa ed.), Nayī Dillī: Kitāba Ghara, ISBN 978-8170164241, OCLC 41002985
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1999a), Decisive days, Ghaṭāṭe, Nā. Mā. (Narayana Madhava), Delhi: Shipra Publications, ISBN 978-8175410480, OCLC 43905101
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1999b), Samkalpa-kāla, Ghaṭāṭe, Narayana Madhyama, Dillī: Prabhāta Prakāśana, ISBN 978-8173153006, OCLC 874550695
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (1999c), Kyā khoyā kyā pāyā : Aṭala Vihārī Vājapeyī, vyaktitva aura kavitāeṃ, Nandana, Kanhaiyālāla, 1933–2010. (1. saṃskaraṇa ed.), Dillī: Rājapāla eṇḍa Sanza, ISBN 978-8170283355, OCLC 43992648
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2000), Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, selected speeches 2000–2002, India. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Publications Division., New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, ISBN 978-8123008349, OCLC 45499698
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2001a), Values, vision & verses of Vajpayee : India's man of destiny, Goyal, Bhagwat S., 1939– (1st ed.), Ghaziabad: Srijan Prakashan, ISBN 978-8187996002, OCLC 4766656
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2001b), Twenty-one poems, Varma, Pavan K., 1953-, New Delhi: Viking, ISBN 978-0-670-04917-2, OCLC 49619164
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2002), India's Perspectives on ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Region, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), ISBN 9789812306111, OCLC 748241801, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 8 June 2020
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2004), Gaṭhabandhana kī rājanīti, Ghaṭāṭe, Nā. Mā. (Narayana Madhava) (Saṃskaraṇa 1 ed.), Naī Dillī: Prabhāta Prakāśana, ISBN 978-8173154799, OCLC 60392662
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2011), Nayi Chunouti : Naya Avasar (in Hindi), KITABGHAR PRAKASHAN, ISBN 978-9383233595
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2012), Chuni Hui Kavitayein, Prabhat Prakashan, ISBN 978-9350481639
* Vajpayee, Atal Bihari (2013), Selected poems, Shah, Arvind (Poet) (Ed. 1st ed.), New Delhi: Prabhat Prakashan, ISBN 9789350484326, OCLC 861540562
* Vora, Rajendra; Palshikar, Suhas, eds. (2003), Indian Democracy: Meanings and Practices, SAGE Publications India, ISBN 9789351500193, archived from the original on 29 March 2024, retrieved 16 August 2018

## Further reading

[edit]

* L.K. Advani. My Country My Life. (2008). ISBN 978-81-291-1363-4.
* M.P. Kamal. Bateshwar to Prime Minister House – An Interesting Description of Different Aspects of Atalji's . (2003). ISBN 978-81-7604-600-8.
* G.N.S. Raghavan. New Era in the Indian Polity, A Study of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the BJP. (1996). ISBN 978-81-212-0539-9.
* P. R Trivedi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: The man India needs : the most appropriate leader for the twentyfirst century. (2000). ISBN 978-81-7696-001-4.
* Sujata K. Dass. " prem k jain ". (2004). ISBN 978-81-7835-277-0.
* Chandrika Prasad Sharma. Poet politician Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A biography. (1998). ASIN B0006FD11E.
* Sheila Vazirani. Atal Bihari Vajpayee; profile & personal views (Know thy leaders). (1967). ASIN B0006FFBV2.
* C.P. Thakur. India Under Atal Behari Vajpayee: The BJP Era. (1999). ISBN 978-81-7476-250-4
* Sita Ram Sharma. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee: Commitment to power. (1998). ISBN 978-81-85809-24-3.
* Bhagwat S. Goyal Values, Vision & Verses of Vajpayee: India's Man of Destiny 2001 Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. ISBN 81-87996-00-5.
* Darshan Singh. Atal Behari Vajpayee: The arch of India. (2001). ISBN 978-81-86405-25-3.
* Yogesh Atal. Mandate for political transition: Re-emergence of Vaypayee. (2000). ASIN B0006FEIHA.
* Sujata K. Das. Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (2004). ISBN 978-8178352770

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Wikisource has original works by or about:
Atal Bihari Vajpayee

* Profile – Govt. of India
* Profile at BBC News
* Appearances on C-SPAN
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee at IMDb
* Works by Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Open Library

Offices and distinctions

| Lok Sabha

New constituency |  Member of Parliament
for Balrampur
1957–1962  | Succeeded by

Subhadra Joshi

Preceded by

Subhadra Joshi

|  Member of Parliament
for Balrampur
1967–1971  | Succeeded by

Chandra Bhal Mani Tiwari

Preceded by

Ram Awtar Sharma

|  Member of Parliament
for Gwalior
1971–1977  | Succeeded by

Narain Krishna Rao Shejwalker

Preceded by

Mukul Banerjee

|  Member of Parliament
for New Delhi
1977–1984  | Succeeded by

Krishan Chandra Pant

Preceded by

Mandhata Singh

|  Member of Parliament
for Lucknow
1991–2009  | Succeeded by

Lalji Tandon

Party political offices
Preceded by

Deendayal Upadhyaya

|  President of Akhil Bharatiya Jana Sangh
1968–1972  | Succeeded by

L. K. Advani

New political party |  President of the Bharatiya Janata Party
1980–1986
Political offices
Preceded by

Yashwantrao Chavan

|  Minister of External Affairs
1977–79  | Succeeded by

Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra

Preceded by

P. V. Narasimha Rao

|  Prime Minister of India
1996  | Succeeded by

H. D. Deve Gowda

Preceded by

Inder Kumar Gujral

|  Prime Minister of India
1998–2004  | Succeeded by

Manmohan Singh

Links to related articles

* v
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* e

Prime Minister of India

* List
* By previous experience

Prime Ministers|

* Jawaharlal Nehru
* Lal Bahadur Shastri
* Premiership
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* Premiership
* Charan Singh
* Rajiv Gandhi
* V. P. Singh
* Premiership
* Chandra Shekhar
* P. V. Narasimha Rao
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Premiership
* H. D. Deve Gowda
* Inder Kumar Gujral
* Manmohan Singh
* Narendra Modi (Incumbent)
* Premiership

Acting|

* Gulzarilal Nanda

* Things named after prime ministers
* Nehru
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Energy ministries and departments of India

Power|

| Statutory bodies|

* Central Electricity Authority
* Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
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|

Autonomous bodies|

* Central Power Research Institute
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PSUs|

* NTPC Limited
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New and
Renewable Energy|

* Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI)

Ministry of Coal|

* Coal India
* Bharat Coking Coal
* Central Mine Planning and Design Institute
* NLC India Limited
* Singareni Collieries Company
* Coal Mines Provident Fund Organisation

Petroleum and
Natural Gas|

| Academic|

* Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy
* Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology
* Pandit Deendayal Energy University

|

Other|

* Directorate General of Hydrocarbons
* Oil Industry Safety Directorate
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Operational|

* Balmer Lawrie
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Defunct|

* Biecco Lawrie

Other|

* Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Department of
Atomic Energy|

| Apex board|

* Atomic Energy Commission

|

Regulatory board|

* Atomic Energy Regulatory Board

R&D|

* Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
* Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
* Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research
* Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology
* Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre
* Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership

PSUs|

* Electronics Corporation of India
* Indian Rare Earths Limited
* Uranium Corporation of India
* Nuclear Power Corporation of India
* Bharatiya Nabhkiya Vidyut Nigam Limited

Industrial|

* Heavy Water Board
* Nuclear Fuel Complex
* Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology

Academic|

* National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar
* National Board for Higher Mathematics
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* Institute of Physics
* Harish-Chandra Research Institute
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Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)

Department

Commerce|

| Divisions|

* Administrative & General Division
* Finance Division
* Economic Division
* Trade Policy Division
* Foreign Trade
* Territorial Division
* Plantation Division
* Supply Division
* State Trading & Infrastructure Division

|

Attached &
Subordinate Offices|

* Directorate General of Foreign Trade
* Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals (DGS&D)
* Directorate General of Anti-Dumping & Allied Duties (DGAD)
* Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence & Statistics, Kolkata
* Special Economic Zones
* Pay & Account Office (Supply, Commerce & Textiles)

Autonomous Bodies|

* Commodity Boards
* Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority
* Export Inspection Council
* Indian Institute of Foreign Trade
* Indian Institute of Packaging
* Marine Products Export Development Authority
* National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA)
* Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA)
* Network for Fish Quality Management & Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH)

PSUs|

* State Trading Corporation (STC)
* PEC Limited
* MMTC Ltd
* Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India
* India Trade Promotion Organisation
* Pay & Account Office (Supply, Commerce & Textiles)

Advisory Bodies|

* Board of Trade (BOT)
* Inter State Trade Council
* Council for Trade Development & Promotion

Export
Promotion Councils|

* Engineering Exports Promotion Council
* Project Export Promotion Council of India (PEPC)
* Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics Export Promotion Council (Chemexcil)
* Chemicals & Allied Products Export Promotion Council (CAPEXIL)
* Council for Leather Exports
* Sports Goods Export Promotion Council
* Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council
* Shellac Export Promotion Council
* Cashew Export Promotion Council of India
* Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council
* The Plastics Export Promotion Council
* Indian Oil Seeds & Produce Export Promotion Council (IOPEPC)
* Services Export Promotion Council

Other Organisations|

* Federation of Indian Export Organisations
* Indian Diamond Institute
* Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI)
* National Centre for Trade Information
* India Brand Equity Foundation
* Price Stabilization Fund Trust

DPIIT|

| Statutory Bodies|

* Intellectual Property Appellate Board
* Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation
* Copyright Office
* Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry

|

Autonomous
Institutions|

* National Council for Cement & Building Materials (NCCBM)
* Indian Rubber Manufacturers Research Association (IRMRA)
* National Institute of Design
* National Productivity Council (NPC)
* Quality Council of India
* Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI)
* Central Pulp & Paper Research Institute (CPPRI)

Attached &
Subordinate offices|

* Grievance Offices
* Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks
* Office of Chief Controller of Accounts (Disclosure of Central Government Accounting Data)
* Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Intellectual Property Management (NIIPM)
* Principal Account Office
* Office of Technical Adviser (Boilers)
* Tariff Commission
* Office of the Salt Commissioner
* Office of the Economic Adviser
* National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council
* Office of Chief Controller of Accounts

Secretaries|

* Guruprasad Mohapatra(incumbent)

Ministers|

| Industry|

* Syama Prasad Mukherjee
* Harekrushna Mahtab
* Nityanand Kanungo
* Ram Subhag Singh
* H. C. Dasappa
* Tribhuvan Narain Singh
* Damodaram Sanjivayya
* F. A. Ahmed(Industrial Development)
* Dinesh Singh (Industrial Development & Internal Trade)
* Moinul Hoque Choudhury(Industrial Development)
* C Subramaniam(Industrial Development)
* T. A. Pai(Industry)
* Brij Lal Verma
* George Fernandes
* Kasu Brahmananda Reddy
* T. A. Pai
* N. D. Tiwari
* Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy
* Veerendra Patil
* N. D. Tiwari
* J. Vengala Rao
* K. Karunakaran
* Suresh Prabhu
* Murasoli Maran
* Sikandar Bakht

|

Commerce|

* I. I. Chundrigar
* Cooverji Hormusji Bhabha (Commerce)
* Kshitish Chandra Neogy (Commerce)
* Jawaharlal Nehru(Commerce & Industry)
* Sri Prakasa (Commerce)
* Harekrushna Mahtab (Commerce & Industry)
* T T Krishnamachari (Commerce & Industry)
* Swaran Singh
* Morarji Desai (Commerce & Industry)
* Lal Bahadur Shastri(Commerce & Industry)
* KC Reddy (Commerce & Industry)
* Manubhai Shah (As MoS till 24 January 1966)(Commerce)'
* Dinesh Singh(Commerce)
* Bali Ram Bhagat(Foreign Trade & Supply)
* Dinesh Singh(Commerce)
* Lalit Narayan Mishra(MoS)
* D. P. Chattopadhyay(Commerce)(as MoS till 23 December 1976)'
* Morarji Desai(Commerce)
* Mohan Dharia(Commerce)
* Charan Singh(Commerce)
* Hitendra Desai(Commerce)
* Indira Gandhi
* Pranab Mukherjee(Commerce)
* Pranab Mukherjee(Commerce)
* Rajiv Gandhi
* Arjun Singh
* P Shiv Shankar (Commerce)
* N. D. Tiwari (Commerce)
* Dinesh Singh(Commerce & Industry)
* Chandra Shekhar (Commerce)
* Subramanian Swamy (Commerce)
* P Chidambaram(MoS, IC) (Commerce)
* P. V. Narasimha Rao
* P Chidambaram (MoS, IC) (Commerce)
* P. V. Narasimha Rao
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Devendra Prasad Yadav(Commerce)
* Bolla Bulli Ramaiah(Commerce)
* Ramakrishna Hegde(Commerce)
* Murasoli Maran(Commerce & Industry)
* Anand Sharma(Commerce & Industry)
* Nirmala Sitharaman(Commerce & Industry)'(MoS, IC)'
* Suresh Prabhu(Commerce & Industry)
* Piyush Goyal(Commerce and Industry)(incumbent)

MOS|

* Hardeep Singh Puri(incumbent)

* v
* t
* e

Ministry of Communications (India)

Department of Telecommunications|

| Statutory Bodies|

* Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
* Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

|

Attached Offices|

* Controller General of Communication Accounts (CGCA)
* Director General Telecom (DGT)
* Telecommunication Engineering Center (TEC)
* Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)

Subordinate Offices|

* National Centre for Communication Security (NCCS)
* Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO)

Field Offices|

* Controller of Communication Accounts (CCA)

Autonomous Bodies|

* Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT)

Training Institutes|

* National Telecommunications Institute for Policy Research Innovation Training (NTIPRIT)
* National Institute of Communication Finance (NICF)

Others|

* Centre for Excellence in Telecom Technology and Management
* Digital Communications Commission
* Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM)
* Telephone Advisory Committees (TAC)
* Wireless Planning & Coordination Wing (WPC)

PSUs|

* Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL)
* Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
* Indian Telephone Industries Limited (ITI)
* Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL)
* Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL)

Civil Service|

* Indian Telecommunication Service
* Indian Radio Regulatory Service

Department of Posts|

* Army Postal Service
* India Post
* India Post Payments Bank

Legislations|

* The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885
* The Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1940
* The Indian Post Office Act, 1898
* The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997

Ministers|

* Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
* Amrit Kaur
* Jagjivan Ram
* Raj Bahadur
* Lal Bahadur Shastri
* S. K. Patil
* Jawaharlal Nehru
* P. Subbarayan
* Ashoke Kumar Sen
* Satya Narayan Sinha
* Ram Subhag Singh
* Indira Gandhi
* Sher Singh
* Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna
* Kasu Brahmananda Reddy
* Shankar Dayal Sharma
* Morarji Desai
* Parkash Singh Badal
* George Fernandes
* Brij Lal Varma
* Charan Singh
* Shyam Nandan Mishra
* Bhishma Narain Singh
* C. M. Stephen
* Anant Prasad Sharma
* Rajiv Gandhi
* V. N. Gadgil
* Arjun Singh
* Vasant Sathe
* Bir Bahadur Singh
* V. P. Singh
* K. P. Unnikrishnan
* Chandra Shekhar
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Beni Prasad Verma
* Buta Singh
* Sushma Swaraj
* Jagmohan
* Ram Vilas Paswan
* Pramod Mahajan
* Arun Shourie
* Dayanidhi Maran
* A. Raja
* Manmohan Singh
* Kapil Sibal
* Ravi Shankar Prasad
* Ashwini Vaishnaw (incumbent)

Ministers of State|

* Manoj Sinha
* Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre
* Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan (incumbent)

Preceding Ministry: Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

* v
* t
* e

Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (India)

Departments|

| Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals|

* Chemical Division
* Petrochemicals Division
* Monitoring and Evaluation Division (M&E Division)
* Plastic Parks

|

Fertilizers|

* Urea Pricing Policy Division
* Fertilizer Movement
* Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) Fertilizer Policy and Projects
* Fertilizer Subsidy Division

Pharmaceuticals|

* National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
* Drug Price Control Order

CIPET|

* Chennai
* Bhubaneswar
* Hajipur
* Khunti
* Ahmedabad
* Amritsar
* Aurangabad
* Bhopal
* Guwahati
* Hyderabad
* Haldia
* Jaipur
* Imphal
* Lucknow
* Mysore
* Panipat
* Madurai
* Raipur

Projects|

* Bulk Drug Parks
* Medical Devices Parks
* Tamil Nadu PCPIR
* Talcher Fertilizer LTD
* Ramagundam Fertilizers And Chemicals Limited
* Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan LTD
* Paradeep Plastic Park

PSUs|

* Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Limited (BCPL)
* Bramhaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited (BVFCL)
* FCI Aravali Gypsum and Minerals (India) Limited
* Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT)
* Fertiliser Association of India (FAI)
* Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCIL)
* Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL)
* Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL)
* Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOCL)
* Madras Fertilizers Limited (MFL)
* National Fertilisers Limited (NFL)
* Projects and Development India Limited (PDIL)
* Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited (RCF)
* Bramhaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL)
* Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (GSFC)
* Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO)
* Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO)
* Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Secretaries|

* S Aparna (incumbent)

Ministers|

* P. V. Narasimha Rao
* Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Sis Ram Ola
* M. Arunachalam
* Surjit Singh Barnala
* Suresh Prabhu
* Sunder Lal Patwa
* Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
* Ram Vilas Paswan
* M. K. Azhagiri
* Srikant Kumar Jena(MoS, IC)
* Ananth Kumar
* D. V. Sadananda Gowda(incumbent)

Ministers of State|

* Mansukh L. Mandaviya (incumbent)

Other|

* Plast India 2020

* v
* t
* e

Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (India)

Authorities|

* Central Zoo Authority of India
* National Biodiversity Authority
* National Tiger Conservation Authority

Agencies|

* Andaman & Nicobar Islands Forest and Plantation Development Corporation
* Animal Welfare Board of India
* Botanical Survey of India
* Central Pollution Control Board
* Forest Survey of India
* Zoological Survey of India
* Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

Institutions|

* Centre for Environment Education
* Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
* Indian Institute of Forest Management
* Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions
* National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management
* National Forest Academy
* Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding
* National Institute of Animal Welfare
* National Museum of Natural History
* Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
* Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute
* Wildlife Institute of India

Tribunal|

* National Green Tribunal

Legislation|

* Indian Forest Act, 1927
* National Green Tribunal Act
* Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
* Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002

Special projects|

* Cheetah reintroduction in India
* Project Dolphin
* Project Elephant
* Project Tiger

Civil Service|

* Indian Forest Service

Minister|

* Rajiv Gandhi
* Bhajan Lal
* Ziaur Ansari
* V. P. Singh
* Nilamani Routray
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Jai Narain
* Saifuddin Soz
* H. D. Deve Gowda
* Suresh Prabhu
* T. R. Baalu
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* Ramesh Bais
* A. Raja
* Manmohan Singh
* M. Veerappa Moily
* Harsh Vardhan
* Prakash Javdekar
* Bhupender Yadav (incumbent)

Minister of state|

* Vir Sen
* Ziaur Ansari^
* Sumati Oraon
* Maneka Gandhi^
* Kamal Nath^
* Rajesh Pilot^
* Jai Narain
* Babulal Marandi
* Dilip Singh Judeo
* Ramesh Bais
* Namo Narain Meena
* S. Regupathy
* Jairam Ramesh^
* Jayanthi Natarajan^
* Prakash Javdekar^
* Anil Madhav Dave^
* Mahesh Sharma
* Babul Supriyo
* Kirti Vardhan Singh (incumbent)

^independent charge

* v
* t
* e

Bharatiya Janata Party

Party presidents|

* Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1980–86)
* L. K. Advani (1986–91, 1993–98, 2004–06)
* Murli Manohar Joshi (1991–93)
* Kushabhau Thakre (1998–2000)
* Bangaru Laxman (2000–01)
* Jana Krishnamurthi (2001–02)
* Venkaiah Naidu (2002–04)
* Rajnath Singh (2006–09)
* Nitin Gadkari (2009–13)
* Rajnath Singh (2013–14)
* Amit Shah (2014–2020)
* J. P. Nadda (2020–present)

Current vice presidents|

* Vasundhara Raje
* Saudan Singh
* Baijayant Panda
* Saroj Pandey
* Rekha Verma
* Annpurna Devi
* Bharti Shiyal
* D. K. Aruna
* M. Chuba Ao
* A. P. Abdullakutty
* Laxmikant Bajpai
* Lata Usendi
* Tariq Mansoor

Prime ministers|

* Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1996; 1998–2004)
* Narendra Modi (2014–present)

Deputy prime ministers|

* L. K. Advani (2002–2004)

Other prominent leaders|

* Arun Jaitley
* Bhavurao Deshpande
* Nirmala Sitharaman
* Piyush Goyal
* Kalyan Singh
* Anandiben Patel
* Smriti Irani
* Ravi Shankar Prasad
* Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
* Sushil Kumar Modi
* Ram Naik
* Suvendu Adhikari
* Sarbananda Sonowal
* Chandrakant Bacchu Patil
* Dilip Ghosh
* Jamyang Tsering Namgyal
* Madan Lal Khurana
* Sahib Singh Verma
* Sushma Swaraj
* Manohar Parrikar
* Keshubhai Patel
* Shanta Kumar
* Prem Kumar Dhumal
* Babulal Marandi
* Arjun Munda
* D. V. Sadananda Gowda
* Jagadish Shettar
* Sunder Lal Patwa
* Uma Bharti
* Babulal Gaur
* Devendra Fadnavis
* Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
* Ram Prakash Gupta
* Jagdambika Pal
* Nityanand Swami
* Bhagat Singh Koshyari
* B. C. Khanduri
* Ramesh Pokhriyal
* Trivendra Singh Rawat
* Gulab Chand Kataria
* Hriday Narayan Dikshit
* Biswabhusan Harichandan
* Bandaru Dattatreya
* Draupadi Murmu
* Vajubhai Vala
* Kalraj Mishra
* Banwarilal Purohit
* Tamilisai Soundararajan
* Manoj Sinha
* Suresh Prabhu
* B. S. Yediyurappa
* Yogi Adityanath
* Himanta Biswa Sarma

Current chief ministers|

* Pema Khandu
* Himanta Biswa Sarma
* Vishnu Deo Sai
* Pramod Sawant
* Bhupendrabhai Patel
* Nayab Singh Saini
* Mohan Yadav
* Mohan Charan Majhi
* Bhajan Lal Sharma
* N. Biren Singh
* Yogi Adityanath
* Manik Saha
* Pushkar Singh Dhami

Current
deputy chief ministers|

* Chowna Mein
* Devendra Fadnavis
* Yanthungo Patton
* Brajesh Pathak
* Keshav Prasad Maurya
* Samrat Chaudhary
* Vijay Kumar Sinha
* Arun Sao
* Vijay Sharma
* Rajendra Shukla
* Jagdish Devda
* Diya Kumari
* Prem Chand Bairwa
* Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo
* Pravati Parida

Current
national spokespersons|

* Anil Baluni
* Sanjay Mayukh
* Sambit Patra
* Sudhanshu Trivedi
* Syed Shahnawaz Hussain
* Rajiv Pratap Rudy
* Nalin Kohli
* Rajeev Chandrasekhar
* Gaurav Bhatia
* Syed Zafar Islam
* Tom Vadakkan
* Sanju Verma
* Gopal Krishna Agarwal
* Iqbal Singh Lalpura
* R. P. Singh
* Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
* Aparajita Sarangi
* Heena Gavit
* Guruprakash
* Mmhonlumo Kikon
* Raju Bista
* K. K. Sharma

Current
general secretaries|

* Arun Singh

* Dushyant Kumar Gautam
* Tarun Chugh

* Vinod Tawde
* Sunil Bansal
* Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal

* B. L. Santhosh (Organisation)
* Shiv Prakash (Organisation)

Current
national secretaries|

* Vijaya Rahatkar
* Arvind Menon
* Pankaja Munde
* Dr. Narendra Singh
* Alka Gujar
* Om Prakash Dhurve
* Rituraj Sinha
* Kamakhya Prasad Tasa
* Surendra Singh Nagar
* Anil Antony
* Manjinder Singh Sirsa
* Om Prakash Dhankar

Political wings|

* National Executive Committee
* Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha
* BJP Mahila Morcha
* BJP IT Cell
* State Units
* State Presidents

Related organisations|

* Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
* Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
* Bharatiya Jana Sangh
* Janata Party
* Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh
* Bharatiya Kisan Sangh
* Swadeshi Jagaran Manch
* Vishva Hindu Parishad

Others|

* Hindutva
* Hindu nationalism
* Integral humanism
* Electoral history
* Party leaders in the Parliament
* Rajya Sabha members

* v
* t
* e

Recipients of Bharat Ratna Award

1954–1960|

* C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and C. V. Raman (1954)
* Bhagwan Das, M. Visvesvaraya, and Jawaharlal Nehru (1955)
* Govind Ballabh Pant (1957)
* Dhondo Keshav Karve (1958)

1961–1980|

* Bidhan Chandra Roy, and Purushottam Das Tandon (1961)
* Rajendra Prasad (1962)
* Zakir Husain, and Pandurang Vaman Kane (1963)
* Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966)
* Indira Gandhi (1971)
* V. V. Giri (1975)
* K. Kamaraj (1976)
* Mother Teresa (1980)

1981–2000|

* Vinoba Bhave (1983)
* Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987)
* M. G. Ramachandran (1988)
* B. R. Ambedkar, and Nelson Mandela (1990)
* Rajiv Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Morarji Desai (1991)
* Abul Kalam Azad, J. R. D. Tata and Satyajit Ray (1992)
* Gulzarilal Nanda, Aruna Asaf Ali, and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997)
* M. S. Subbulakshmi, and C. Subramaniam (1998)
* Jayaprakash Narayan, Amartya Sen, Gopinath Bordoloi, and Ravi Shankar (1999)

2001–2020|

* Lata Mangeshkar, and Bismillah Khan (2001)
* Bhimsen Joshi (2008)
* C. N. R. Rao, and Sachin Tendulkar (2014)
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Madan Mohan Malaviya (2015)
* Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika, and Pranab Mukherjee (2019)

2021–2040|

* Karpoori Thakur, Lal Krishna Advani, Charan Singh, P. V. Narasimha Rao, and M. S. Swaminathan (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Recipients of Padma Vibhushan

Arts|

* Ebrahim Alkazi
* Kishori Amonkar
* Prabha Atre
* Amitabh Bachchan
* Teejan Bai
* M. Balamuralikrishna
* T. Balasaraswati
* S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
* Asha Bhosle
* Nandalal Bose
* Hariprasad Chaurasia
* Chiranjeevi
* Girija Devi
* Kumar Gandharva
* Adoor Gopalakrishnan
* Satish Gujral
* Gangubai Hangal
* Bhupen Hazarika
* M. F. Husain
* Zakir Hussain
* Ilaiyaraaja
* Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
* Bhimsen Joshi
* Ali Akbar Khan
* Amjad Ali Khan
* Allauddin Khan
* Bismillah Khan
* Ghulam Mustafa Khan
* Yamini Krishnamurthy
* Dilip Kumar
* R. K. Laxman
* Birju Maharaj
* Kishan Maharaj
* Lata Mangeshkar
* Sonal Mansingh
* Mallikarjun Mansur
* Zubin Mehta
* Mario Miranda
* Chhannulal Mishra
* Kelucharan Mohapatra
* Raghunath Mohapatra
* Jasraj Motiram
* Benode Behari Mukherjee
* Hrishikesh Mukherjee
* Rajinikanth
* Ram Narayan
* D. K. Pattammal
* K. Shankar Pillai
* Balwant Moreshwar Purandare
* Akkineni Nageswara Rao
* Kaloji Narayana Rao
* Satyajit Ray
* S. H. Raza
* Zohra Sehgal
* Uday Shankar
* Ravi Shankar
* V. Shantaram
* Shivkumar Sharma
* Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
* M. S. Subbulakshmi
* K. G. Subramanyan
* Kapila Vatsyayan
* Homai Vyarawalla
* K. J. Yesudas

Civil service|

* Bimala Prasad Chaliha
* Naresh Chandra
* T. N. Chaturvedi
* Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
* Suranjan Das
* Rajeshwar Dayal
* Basanti Devi
* P. N. Dhar
* Jyotindra Nath Dixit
* M. S. Gill
* Hafiz Mohamad Ibrahim
* H. V. R. Iyengar
* Bhola Nath Jha
* Dattatraya Shridhar Joshi
* Ajudhiya Nath Khosla
* Rai Krishnadasa
* V. Krishnamurthy
* P. Prabhakar Kumaramangalam
* Pratap Chandra Lal
* K. B. Lall
* Sam Manekshaw
* Om Prakash Mehra
* Mohan Sinha Mehta
* M. G. K. Menon
* Brajesh Mishra
* Sumati Morarjee
* A. Ramasamy Mudaliar
* Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda
* Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan
* Braj Kumar Nehru
* Bhairab Dutt Pande
* Ghananand Pande
* Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
* T. V. Rajeswar
* C. R. Krishnaswamy Rao
* Pattadakal Venkanna R. Rao
* V. K. R. V. Rao
* Bipin Rawat
* Khusro Faramurz Rustamji
* Harish Chandra Sarin
* Binay Ranjan Sen
* Homi Sethna
* Arjan Singh
* Harbaksh Singh
* Kirpal Singh
* Manmohan Singh
* Tarlok Singh
* Lallan Prasad Singh
* Balaram Sivaraman
* Chandrika Prasad Srivastava
* T. Swaminathan
* Arun Shridhar Vaidya
* Dharma Vira
* Narinder Nath Vohra

Literature and
education|

* V. S. R. Arunachalam
* Jagdish Bhagwati
* Satyendra Nath Bose
* Tara Chand
* Suniti Kumar Chatterji
* D. P. Chattopadhyaya
* Bhabatosh Datta
* Avinash Dixit
* Mahasweta Devi
* John Kenneth Galbraith
* Sarvepalli Gopal
* Lakshman Shastri Joshi
* Kaka Kalelkar
* Dhondo Keshav Karve
* Gopinath Kaviraj
* Radheshyam Khemka
* Kuvempu
* O. N. V. Kurup
* Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
* Sitakant Mahapatra
* John Mathai
* Kotha Satchidananda Murthy
* Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir
* Basanti Dulal Nagchaudhuri
* Bal Ram Nanda
* R. K. Narayan
* P. Parameswaran
* Amrita Pritam
* K. N. Raj
* C. Rangarajan
* Raja Rao
* Ramoji Rao
* Hormasji Maneckji Seervai
* Rajaram Shastri
* Kalu Lal Shrimali
* Govindbhai Shroff
* Khushwant Singh
* Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh
* Premlila Vithaldas Thackersey
* Mahadevi Varma
* Bashir Hussain Zaidi

Medicine|

* Jasbir Singh Bajaj
* B. K. Goyal
* Purshotam Lal
* A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar
* S. I. Padmavati
* Autar Singh Paintal
* Kantilal Hastimal Sancheti
* Balu Sankaran
* V. Shanta
* Vithal Nagesh Shirodkar
* Prakash Narain Tandon
* Brihaspati Dev Triguna
* M. S. Valiathan
* Dilip Mahalanabis

Other|

* Sunderlal Bahuguna
* B. K. S. Iyengar
* Rambhadracharya
* Ravi Shankar
* Vishwesha Teertha
* Jaggi Vasudev
* B. V. Doshi

Public affairs|

* L. K. Advani
* Montek Singh Ahluwalia
* Aruna Asaf Ali
* Fazal Ali
* Adarsh Sein Anand
* Madhav Shrihari Aney
* Parkash Singh Badal
* Sikander Bakht
* Milon K. Banerji
* Mirza Hameedullah Beg
* P. N. Bhagwati
* Raja Chelliah
* Chandra Kisan Daphtary
* Niren De
* C. D. Deshmukh
* Anthony Lancelot Dias
* Uma Shankar Dikshit
* Kazi Lhendup Dorjee
* George Fernandes
* P. B. Gajendragadkar
* Benjamin Gilman
* Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
* Zakir Husain
* V. R. Krishna Iyer
* Jagmohan
* Lakshmi Chand Jain
* Arun Jaitley
* Aditya Nath Jha
* Murli Manohar Joshi
* Anerood Jugnauth
* Mehdi Nawaz Jung
* Ali Yavar Jung
* Vijay Kelkar
* Hans Raj Khanna
* V. N. Khare
* Balasaheb Gangadhar Kher
* Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai
* Jivraj Narayan Mehta
* V. K. Krishna Menon
* Hirendranath Mukherjee
* Ajoy Mukherjee
* Pranab Mukherjee
* Padmaja Naidu
* Venkaiah Naidu
* Gulzarilal Nanda
* Govind Narain
* Fali Sam Nariman
* Hosei Norota
* Nanabhoy Palkhivala
* K. Parasaran
* Hari Vinayak Pataskar
* Sunder Lal Patwa
* Sharad Pawar
* Naryana Raghvan Pillai
* Sri Prakasa
* N. G. Ranga
* Ravi Narayana Reddy
* Y. Venugopal Reddy
* Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq
* Lakshmi Sahgal
* P. A. Sangma
* M. C. Setalvad
* Kalyan Singh
* Karan Singh
* Nagendra Singh
* Swaran Singh
* Walter Sisulu
* Soli Sorabjee
* Kalyan Sundaram
* Sushma Swaraj
* Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi
* Atal Bihari Vajpayee
* M. N. Venkatachaliah
* Kottayan Katankot Venugopal
* Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
* S. M. Krishna
* Mulayam Singh Yadav

Science and
engineering|

* V. K. Aatre
* Salim Ali
* Norman Borlaug
* Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
* Rajagopala Chidambaram
* Charles Correa
* Satish Dhawan
* Anil Kakodkar
* A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
* Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan
* Har Gobind Khorana
* Daulat Singh Kothari
* Verghese Kurien
* Raghunath Anant Mashelkar
* G. Madhavan Nair
* Roddam Narasimha
* Jayant Narlikar
* Rajendra K. Pachauri
* Benjamin Peary Pal
* Yash Pal
* I. G. Patel
* Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
* K. R. Ramanathan
* Raja Ramanna
* C. R. Rao
* C. N. R. Rao
* Palle Rama Rao
* Udupi Ramachandra Rao
* Vikram Sarabhai
* Man Mohan Sharma
* Obaid Siddiqi
* E. Sreedharan
* M. R. Srinivasan
* George Sudarshan
* M. S. Swaminathan
* Narinder Singh Kapany
* S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan

Social work|

* Baba Amte
* Pandurang Shastri Athavale
* Janaki Devi Bajaj
* Mirabehn
* Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
* Durgabai Deshmukh
* Nanaji Deshmukh
* Nirmala Deshpande
* Mohan Dharia
* U. N. Dhebar
* Valerian Gracias
* Veerendra Heggade
* Mary Clubwala Jadhav
* Gaganvihari Lallubhai Mehta
* Usha Mehta
* Sister Nirmala
* Nellie Sengupta

Sports|

* Viswanathan Anand
* Edmund Hillary
* Mary Kom
* Sachin Tendulkar

Trade and industry|

* Dhirubhai Ambani
* Ghanshyam Das Birla
* Ashok Sekhar Ganguly
* Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan
* Lakshmi Mittal
* Anil Manibhai Naik
* N. R. Narayana Murthy
* M. Narasimham
* Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi
* Azim Premji
* Prathap C. Reddy
* J. R. D. Tata
* Ratan Tata

* Portal
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Other|

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